In the Long Run

I spent the last week in an arduous, week-long certification course for fitness testing and assessments. I had taken this course five years ago as the launch pad of my YMCA career, but this time I was one of four lab leaders directing participants through their practical tests.

This year’s training attracted 17 women, although the course is not limited to females. The lab leaders wondered if an all-female group would be so hormone-heavy as to cause problems. We were pleasantly surprised at the scarcity of tears (although there were some) and the nearly total absence of bickering or cattiness (maybe there was some of that going on back at the motel that we didn’t know about!)

The women made their way through a variety of emotions ranging from confidence to doubt, despair to giddiness, and frustration to pride. I was amazed that some of them handled the stress and pressure of the 14-hour days with poise and calm, and I sympathized with those who were nervous wrecks from the first practical exercise on.

At the end of the first night’s lab, it was clear that my lab group was the remedial group. My four 40-and 50-something women took longer to catch on to everything. It was true that some of them lacked the practical experience obviously apparent in other participants, but even when the complicated concepts and skills were explained in simpler terms, my ladies required much time and repetition to grasp them. I did my best to encourage and motivate them, and they responded with an enthusiastic group huddle and a “senior moment” cheer.

We had to laugh at our miscues, missteps, and bumbling mistakes during the week. We giggled, when, in a practical test, Dawn explained that body fat percentage could be used to predict a target heart weight (you’ve heard of heavy hands? how about a heavy heart?!) It was comic relief when Barb began wiggling and gyrating in a spontaneous belly dance to the monotonous beat while calibrating her metronome. And although it wasn’t funny at the time, we later laughed at the moment when Annie, while measuring heart rate response, did not notice she was holding her stopwatch backward in her hand, and pressed the clear button, instead of the start/stop button, and totally ruined her test.

By the end of the week, my group was hopelessly mired in a bog of failed practicals. The other groups were smugly finished with their practical exams, and were studying for their written test. My group kept struggling, kept re-testing, and unfortunately, kept failing. They were discouraged, fatigued, and very stressed.

I wish that I could report that in spite of all the anxiety and disappointments, my whole group pulled through, and each of the ladies passed the course. But I cannot. Only two of them managed to successfully complete the battery of practical exams and the written test. I felt bad about that.

But what I did feel good about was their spirit. I was inspired by the way these women supported and helped each other, even when it would have been easy to give up. They uplifted and comforted each other. They became friends despite diverse backgrounds and personalities. They were united in their desire and perseverance. And even when faced with the realization that they might not achieve their certification, these women held their heads high and were proud of what they did accomplish. And in the long run, I couldn’t have asked any more of them than that.

Posted by Cyppy at 7:00 PM